Power play

40 lineman teams push,
tug and pull in contest

Dartanyom Pruitt, an eighth grader from Eustace, gets his shoulder down as he runs around a circle dragging an 18-wheeler tire. Eustace won the Division 3 competition of the All Pro Lineman Challenge. (Monitor photos by Doris Newman)

Mineola Coach Billy Dunn said the value of the Lineman Challenge was that it builds camaraderie among the players. This team that just won one of the tug of wars illustrates that.

As they pushed the All Pro Septic plumber’s truck, still loaded with tools, a team of linemen give it their all.

While a breeze kept things feeling spring-like, when it died down there was nothing but sun on the practice field. This athlete found a creative way to beat the sun’s rays. (Monitor photos by Doris Newman)

While it may be the “pretty boys” receiving, running and scoring touchdowns who claim much of the glory in football, Mineola Coach Bill Dunn says football games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage and that’s why he’s so passionate about giving the soldiers of the football team, the linemen, an opportunity to sharpen their skills, one against another. That’s what Saturday’s All Pro Lineman Challenge on the practice field behind Mineola Middle School was all about.

Forty teams from roughly 26 schools, plus their families, friends and some coaches, comprised a crowd of hundreds who gathered Saturday morning. The young people, young men and women, flexed their muscles as they pushed a plumber’s truck full of tools, bench pressed, drug tires and maneuvered obstacles. The finale was a tug of war between teams that had accumulated the most points.

“This is the largest one we’ve ever had,” Dunn said, adding, “as far as I know it’s one of the largest ones in the nation.” Teams from Denison, Van Alstyne and Greenville were among Saturday’s competitors.

“It’s all competition. Linemen don’t have fun – they compete. It’s a chance for them to get out and compete with their teammates,” Dunn said. He said seven-on-seven is for “the skill kids.” But this was a chance for linemen to compete and do some events that can help their team. “It builds chemistry, and camaraderie and team work - and just competing.”

He said a lot of playoff teams were in Mineola. “You can see why. It’s always the offensive and defensive line that determine whether you win or lose, 99 percent of the time, and everybody watches the ball and watches the pretty boys and all, but it’s really the big guys up front – whoever controls the line of scrimmage is going to win most of the time.”

The schools can’t provide any financial assistance for the teams competing. The teams aren’t allowed to ride on a school bus and while coaches may be there, “they’re kind of separate.”